Best Enemies
by DiabloVixen
Summary: This starts in the middle of Season 5 and goes AU. Buffy's friends have found out that Dawn is the key Glory has been searching for. They decide to do the unthinkable to rid the world of glory. How will Buffy react to their betrayal?
1. Previously on Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Chapter 1

**Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer**

PREVIOUSLY ON BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYERQuentin Travers was seated across from Buffy. "Well, that's the thing, you see. Glory isn't a demon." Quentin Travers said still looking at Buffy.

Buffy asked, "What is she?"

"She's a god." Travers replied with an odd coolness in his voice.

Buffy's eyes widened and after a long pause, "Oh." Was all she could find to say.

Quentin Travers was standing the cash register of the Magic Box was in the background. "We do not know what form the key has taken and we do not know much about the spell. Our sources have stated that the essence of the key must be drained at a certain place at a certain time period. The portal will open and walls between dimensions will crumble..."

"And we all die. Yes we have done this three thousand times, but how do we stop the suffering and death part? And weaknesses like an Achilles' high heel." Xander interrupted impatiently.

Quentin Travers gave an annoyed sigh and continued, pretending not to have noticed this distraction. "Once the ritual is started the only way to cease apocalypse is to terminate the core of the spell."

"Kill the key." Buffy blurted comprehending.

"I don't get it." Xander said lying in his bed next to Anya.

"You're gonna have to be more specific, Honey." Anya said from behind a magazine.

"Why is it so bad if Glory gets the key?" Xander said as he sat up.

Anya lowered her magazine and gave Xander a crooked smile. "Because we would all suffer a horrible and painful demise." Anya responded in a calm and childish voice and she returned to her magazine.

"No...Well, yeah... If Glory did the spell and opened the door and went wherever she calls home, then we could just destroy whatever it is that is the key and easily be gone with an almighty and powerful god. Wouldn't it be better that way?" 

Spike is crouched on the floor reading from a book. "They had to be certain the Slayer would protect it with her life, so they sent the key to her, in the form of a sister." Spike frowned, looked over at Dawn. "Huh! I guess that's you, nibblet."   
Dawn is standing in the doorway of the Summer's house. She was holding a large knife in one hand, and had blood running down her other arm. Is this blood?" Dawn said dazed. "This is blood, isn't it? It can't be me. I'm not a key. I'm not a thing."  
…...  
Dawn is sitting at a small table with Ben, " It's not Buffy. It's me. I'm the one that doesn't exist."  
…………………………………………..  
"We shouldn't even be thinking this!" Willow shouted on the verge of tears.

"We have no bloody choice. We cannot sacrifice the lives of numerous people so one can live." Giles said.

"But Giles, its Dawny, Buffy's sister. We can't just throw her to the wolves like that!" Willow was now crying hysterically.

"She's not. We all remember that she is, but she isn't. We have to do this." Xander said comforting Willow.  
…………………………………………………

"Mom?" Buffy called throughout her house. She turned and looks into the living room, "What are you doing?" Buffy walks into the living room and stops. Joyce is lying on the sofa. Her eyes are open, staring sightlessly at the ceiling. One arm hangs over the edge of the sofa. Buffy whispers, "Mom?... Mom?... Mommy?"

………………………………………………….  
"Doesn't sound like B will like this plan very much, but I'll do anything to help my favorite sidekicks. Kept the car running and see you in Twenty minutes." Faith said hanging up her phone handset while winking to Willow as she headed over to a guard that began to search her.

…...


	2. The End Of An Era

Chapter 2

**The End of an Era**

The Magic Box bell rang as Buffy stepped through the door. "Dawny's getting her education on. You know you're bored when you rather…" Buffy trailed off after she noticed the unnatural glumness that consumed the room. Anya was rearranging some of the items on the store's shelves. Anya looked up only to give Buffy a faint smile. Xander, Tara and Willow were seated at the table which surprisingly wasn't overflowing with ancient books and papers. The smile on Buffy's face faded.

"What happened?" Buffy said. "Bad news? Is it something about Glory?" Buffy searched the room as though expecting to find a horrific scene in one of the corners. "Where's Giles? Is he Okay?"

"No need to worry about me, Buffy." Giles said walking out from the backroom. "Actually, we all would like to speak with you." Giles said stepping aside to reveal the figure standing behind him.

"Faith." Buffy said confused looking around the room. Willow continued to stare down at her shirt. "There's no way…" Buffy trailed off looking at Willow for answers. It was Xander that explained.

"We asked Faith to come here. We need her help with…" Xander swallowed hard as he searched for words.

Before he could continue again Buffy interrupted. "So you go behind my back and ask for a homicidal lunatic to help us defeat a homicidal manic?" Buffy said.

Xander shot a look at Faith half expecting her to defend herself. "Hey if the shoe fits." Faith shrugged.

"That's not all Faith is here for." Xander said.

"We have been discussing a new plan for ridding the world of Glory, indefinitely." Giles said. Buffy glared at Faith who just smirked back. Buffy finally turned her attention to Giles who continued speaking. "If we allowed Glory to obtain the Key…"

"Her name is Dawn." Buffy said growing more and more impatient.

"If we allowed Glory to obtain 'the Key' and allow her to open the portal to her home dimension..."

"The world would end." Buffy interrupted to remind him.

Giles took a moment to wipe his glasses as though punishing his slayer for her rudeness. "Yes the dimensions would blend and we would be at the mercy of thousands of different species of powerful and deadly demons. That is, if the essence of the key were to remain intact. If Glory were to pass through the portal and the Key was to be destroyed before…"

Buffy stared at Giles at the brink of tears. "You can't be saying this."

"Buff, this is all we got. You know Glory's stronger than you." Xander said standing up.

"Why don't you take her?" Buffy said infuriated moving to within three inches of Xander's face. "You always so willing to step up and say what 'I'm' doing wrong. So here." Buffy stepped aside and waved her hands ushering Xander through an invisible doorway behind her. "If you think you can be a better Vampire Slayer then by all means."

"Buffy." Willow finally looked up. "You have to understand. This is a sacrifice we have to make, if Glory stays here, in this dimension, countless people are going to be hurt or killed."

"Sacrifice." Buffy repeated pausing to look into her best friend's eyes. "You're talking about murdering Dawn! What are 'you' sacrificing for the good of mankind, Willow? What are 'you' doing to save the world?"

"Buffy." Willow said weakly.

"You know how many people have been 'sacrificed' because of you guys?" Buffy shouted as she stepped back and looked at Willow, Xander and Giles. "Because I was too busy rescuing you or cleaning up your messes. With Your stupid spells, your insect teacher, your demon creations... How many people could I have saved if I wasn't…?"

"How many people have suffered or died because of your errors?" Giles said darkly. "Because of your selfish immature decisions." Buffy shot a look at Faith who gave an uncomfortable smile.

"After Angel turned you should have dusted him right away." Xander added. "Instead you had to wait as he tormented and killed..." Buffy knew by the hurt look in Giles face that he was immediately reminded of Jenny Calendar.

"All this…" Buffy couldn't take it anymore. "It doesn't matter. If you decide to carry out this plan, you're 'all' going to die trying. You won't come near Dawn. You can't destroy my family."

"She's not your family, Buffy." Xander said. "She just like a vampire, she walks, talks, acts like a person but she…" Xander ducked as a crystal ball sailed just above his head.

"How dare you!" Buffy said. Shaking with anger, she slammed the door of the Magic Box so hard it flew off its hinges.


	3. Better Days

Chapter 3

**Better Days**

Buffy stood in her kitchen washing dishes aimlessly as she stared out the window. Flashes of the events of that morning were racing through her mind. She tried to find and explanation for their behavior something, anything. Maybe she misunderstood them. Maybe this is all one big nightmare and she's going to wake up tomorrow, walk up into the Magic Box and everything will be back to the way it was, they way it always is. Buffy had lost so many people in her life she was surprised she wasn't yet accustomed to it. Then again every time she lost someone she had Willow to talk to, Xander used his jokes to lighten up the mood and Giles seemed to always know what to say to make Buffy feel better.

'Giles 'always' knew what to say to make her feel better.' She thought of a conversation they had three years ago.

"Buffy, you acted wrongly, I admit that. But believe me, that was hardly the, the worst mistake you'll ever make. Uh, that wasn't quite as comforting as it was meant to be."

Buffy smiled at the thought of better days. Her best friends were always like her family she could never imagine life without them, she would have never had gotten as far as she did without them. Buffy felt sick to her stomach regretting everything she had said. She concentrated hard on the dishes as she fought off the tears. Knowing if she started she might never stop. She glanced up at the clock. Dawn was going to be coming home soon. She didn't have the heart to tell her, not yet.

She looked down and noticed that she had been cleaning the same plate for twenty minutes. She put the sparkling clean dish back in its place and picked up a coffee mug from inside the sink. She heard the front door signaling Dawn's homecoming. The door clicked shut and she heard Dawn's footsteps head from the living room to the dining room and finally toward the kitchen.

"Hey!" Dawn said. "I thought you would still be at the Magic Box still involved in Operation: Kill the Evil Whore god… or is it god whore…hmm…whore god…god whore…Well anyway you get it."

Buffy continued focusing all of her attention onto the dishes. "Not today."

"Buffy are you okay?" Dawn said.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Buffy said using her best effort to sound happy.

"Buffy something's wrong."

"No Dawny I'm fine."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Dawn, Everythi…"

"You know I'm not Five years old. I can be told stuff."

"Maybe I have more important things on MY mind then whether or not Dawn feels adult enough!" Buffy shouted as the cup shattered cutting the palm of her hand.

"Y-Your bleeding." Dawn informed Buffy still taking aback by Buffy's shouting. "We should clean it out."

"Dawn, go upstairs." Buffy said overly calm.

Dawn instantly turned around and stomped upstairs.


	4. Caring Sister

Chapter 4

**The Caring Sister**

Tara and Anya made a fruitless attempt at repairing the door, within ten minutes they gave up and left the door lying on the floor in the middle of the doorway. Willow and Xander sat at the Magic Box table starring into the space above the other's heads. Giles was in the backroom supposedly overseeing Faith's training session but he too was staring into space. No one had spoken a word about the argument that occurred many hours ago. Only the shattered remnants of a crystal ball on the floor and the door-less frame were proof that the event actually happened.

An out-of-breath Faith appeared from the backroom. She jumped then walked across the table and landed between Willow and Xander.

"This is a place of business not a…a…obstacle course. I would appreciate if you didn't do that." Anya said with a huff as she used a rag to wipe off an invisible shoe print.

"Yeah. Whatev…" Faith turned her attention towards a figure that was walking through the front door.

Anya looked up too see what caught Faith's attention. "Hey Dawn! Hey, it's Dawn! Why…How…What are 'you' doing here?" Anya said as she looked around nervously. Xander and Willow shot glances they both looked at Faith who nodded.

Dawn looked back at the door on the floor she just stepped over. "What's going on? Where you like attacked?"

"No. Ha ha. Attacked. Ha. No, why would we be attack…ed?" Anya said awfully attempting to laugh. 

"Yeah…Right." Dawn said. "Umm… Buffy's acting majorly weird. I was wondering if you guys knew what was up." 

Willow stood up from her seat and headed towards Dawn. "W-what do you mean, Dawny?" Willow said.

Faith took this as a cue as she slid over from her seat and headed towards Dawn. 

"Faith!" Dawn said completely shocked. "How…what are you…" Dawn turned toward the exit.

Faith lunged and grabbed Dawn's arm. "Sorry Lil' Sis, gotta save the world." Faith cocked back her arm and connected with Dawn's jaw. Dawn fell to the ground instantly.

Willow stepped up next to Faith and studied Dawn's unconscious body. She hated every bit of her being. "I'm sorry."

Faith looked as though she felt just as guilty as Willow. "Tie her up. And do whatever you plan to do with her. I did my part. I'm a bodyguard not a murder. Well… not today, anyway."


	5. Empty Bedroom

Chapter 5

**Empty Bedroom**

Buffy was outside sitting against the back door. She stared up at the stars. She felt guilty for yelling at her sister for no real reason. She knew she should go upstairs and apologize but she felt stupid and embarrassed. She wouldn't be able to find the words to explain to her sister the reasons for her behavior. She didn't have the heart to tell Dawn that the people she has known for five years have concocted a brilliant scheme that to murder her in cold blood. 

Buffy heard rustling and looked down to see Spike's figure appear from behind a tree. Although Spike was the last person she wanted to see, but she was happy someone was there to break the silence.

"So…Umm…You still brassed off about the thing with Lil Bit." Spike said being careful to keep his distance until he got an answer. Buffy continued to stare at him. Spike apparently took this for a 'no' because he walked up the steps and plopped down next to Buffy.

"Shouldn't you be reading some old books, trying to figure out your next successful plan of defeating the new big bad?" Spike asked.

Buffy just shook her head. 'Do people think all I do is fight and research?' She asked herself.

Spike was surprised by the slayer's silence. By this time she was either asking for help defeating a new beasty or threatening to behead him. Spike decided to continue the conversation. "Umm… Where is Lil' Bit." Spike said looking up.

"In her room." Buffy replied.

Spike looked up for a few moments then he gave Buffy a worried look. "You better check again."

Buffy instantly ran inside. "Dawn!" She ran upstairs. Buffy knocked as loud as she could without putting her hand through the door. She took a step back. Buffy was growing angrier by the moment. "Dawn! Open the door or I'm gonna kick it down. Then your ass" Buffy waited a few moments and kicked the door open.

Buffy searched the room for Dawn. All she found was an open window and a curtain rustling in the night's wind.

"Shit!" Buffy cursed loudly.

Spike stood at the bottom of the steps as Buffy came running down. "Should I gather the troop…" Buffy was already out the door before Spike could finish his sentence. "Your gonna find her yourself then."


	6. Negotiator

Chapter 6

**Negotiator**

A young blonde woman screamed as she was engulfed in an eerie white light. She felt the fingers squirming their way through her brain. Just a suddenly as it started the pain stopped. The woman fell to her knees and laughed hysterically.

"Ther-There are w-worms in m-m-my app-apple." She struggled to get out.

Glory looked at the weak human in disgust. "Make her gone!" She commanded to her demons. Two of them shot looks and obeyed as Glory made herself more comfortable on the couch.

With their departure only one demon was left in Glory's presence. "So, my crusty little friend, what do we know?"

He looked to his side as if looking for some reinforcements. When he discovered there were none he shifted nervously trying to put distance between himself and the beast. 

"Well, Great Merciful One we know the key is human." He shot out.

"Yea, I know." Glory said. "What else have you found out? Have you been following the slayer? Watching her friends?"

"We have, All Powerful One." The demon said and fell into a bow. "But…"

Glory stood up and threw the couch across the room. "NO BUTS! GO OUT FIND MY KEY! THE RITUAL IS TOMORROW! CAPTURE AND TORTURE HER FRIENDS FOR ALL I CARE!"

"We have something much greater, Your Great…ness." The two demons Glory send to get rid of the woman walked through the door way followed by Faith, Willow, Xander, Anya, Tara and Giles, who was pulling a struggling Dawn. Dawn was tied at the hands and gagged. "May I present you…" The demons paused to bow. "The Key."

Glory looked shocked at the group that stood in front of her. The thing she had been looking for was standing right there. It was delivered right up to her doorstep. "Are the slayer's friends just stupid?" She asked Giles who was holding Dawn's arm.

"We have a deal to make with you." Giles said.

"The mighty Glorificus does not make negotiations with weak humans." A demon snapped.

"I could kill you were you stand." Glory said. Her minions cheered with anticipation, she shot them a look and they quieted down instantly.

Giles removed a knife from behind his back. "And I can destroy your only chance of getting home." He put the knife threateningly against Dawn's neck. A muffled scream came from Dawn as she watched the knife very closely, as did Glory.

"What is it?" Glory sighed as though she was bored.

"We give you the key. You do the ritual tomorrow night and get the hell out of this dimension." Giles said lowering the knife just slightly. "You allow us to be there to kill her when the ritual is done." Dawn let up a yelp of surprise.

Glory smiled from ear to ear. "It's a deal." Glory and Giles shook hands. Giles put the knife back in its place and shoved Dawn into Glory's hands.


	7. The Wish

Chapter 7

**The Wish**

Not a word was said until they were minutes away from the Magic Box. Anya was the first one to break the silence.

"Who's gonna do it?" Anya asked very bluntly.

"ANYA!" Willow said upset by Anya's casual tone.

"Well…I'm sorry but It would suck if the world was ended because none of us could kill lil' old Dawn." Anya said.

Willow glared at Anya for a moment then looked at Giles for an answer. Giles continued to stare as if deep in thought.

"I will." Faith answered without looking back. "If none of you…" Faith withheld the urge to cruse as loud as she could. She shook it off and regained her composure. "If none of you can… I will."

They were now a block away from the Magic Box when someone asked a question that was buried in the back of everyone's mind. "What will happen when Buffy finds out what we did?" They all stared at Xander in shock. Although they all knew it would be something they would have to face eventually, hearing someone say it made it a reality.

"One thing at a time, Xander. First we deal with Glory, then we will deal with Buf…" Giles stopped speaking as they came upon the outside of the Magic Box. The front windows were shattered.

"Oh, no! We've been robbed." Anya said running into the dark Magic Box. After sounds of crunching, Anya found the light switch and the destruction of the shop was visible.

Anya let out a cry of anger and sadness at the condition of her place of employment. The others came walking in. "Who did this?" Anya asked.

"Three guesses." Xander said as he maneuvered around the table that was now in the middle of the floor. The book there thrown off their demolished shelves. Any of the glass items we smashed and any liquids within them were spilled across the floor.

"You really think Buffy could have done this?" Tara asked as she bent down to pick up a book.

"Well… yeah." Xander said as he stared at the back wall. The others looked up to see what it was.

'YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED.' It was written in what seemed to be black magic marker.

"What wish did we make? I'm very careful not to say those words!" Anya said panicked.

"Anyone stupid enough to touch the Slayer's sister has gotta have a death wish." Xander said.


	8. Breakdown

Chapter 8

**Breakdown**

Spike had been waiting for Buffy out on the front steps but with the arrival of the sun he was forced to retreat inside the house. When the door opened Spike finally gave a sigh of relief.

"Where was Lil' Bit this time, Love?" Spike asked expecting Dawn to walk in. To his surprise Buffy closed the door behind her and headed to the kitchen.

"Couldn't find her." She muttered. Buffy began filling the coffee pot with water.

"Bleeding hell! Where is she?" Spike said. Buffy gave him a if-I-Knew-we-wouldn't-have-a-problem look.

"Why did she bloody take off?" Spike questioned the Slayer as she replaced the coffee filter and put in more grinds.

"I don't think she took off." Buffy said. She pressed a button on the coffee maker and headed to the living room.

"You think something took her. Why are we sitting here lets go out and kill it?"

Buffy fell against the wall and began to sob. Spike looked surprised at the Slayer's sudden emotional outburst. Although he had seen her cry before he was not immune to it.

"It's alright, Love." Spike patted Buffy on the back and sat alongside her.


	9. What is Human?

Chapter 9

**What is Human?**

The next morning the gang met at the Magic Box. Anya looked tired and drained. She apparently had been working hard all night trying to bring the Magic box back to its usual shine. The mess on the floor was now gone but store shelves remained destroyed along with the items that the shelves once contained.

"How c-can we do this, Giles?" Willow asked. "How can we look at ourselves in the mirror knowing what we have done?"

"We have gone over this numerous times, Willow." Giles said. "She's not human." 

"Maybe she isn't. But she's Buffy's sister. Buffy has lost so much. Riley, her mom, and now she's going to lose her sister. She might not be able to handle it."

"We don't have time to concern ourselves with bloody emotions." Giles said throwing his glasses in anger. Although Willow was surprised by Giles's outburst it wasn't unexpected. Lately everyone has been so easily agitated. "It pains us all to see Buffy hurting like this, but in the end this will be for the best. This is the only way we can achieve a peaceful end. Tonight we are going to the ritual and we proceed with the plan."


	10. Back up

Chapter 10

**Back Up**

It was right before dusk when Buffy finally awoke. She was still in the living room, sitting against the wall. She looked around and saw Spike next to her, still asleep. Buffy finally remembered she had fallen asleep against Spike's shoulder. Buffy slowly began to stand up. Spike awoke with a start.

"Huh?" He looked at Buffy, who was already digging into the weapons chest.

"The ritual is going to start soon. I have to go find Dawn." Buffy said. 

"What are going to do to them?" Spike asked as he got up and unruffled his leather jacket that he had used as a pillow.

"If Dawn dies because of this, because of them, I'm going to kill them all."

Spike gave the love of his life a proud smile. "About bloody time. What can I use?" He said looking at the weapons expectantly.

Buffy tossed him a battle axe.

"This will do." He said as he checked out the axe from all angles.

"How do you expect to find where this ritual is?" Spike asked.

"Trail 'em." Buffy said.

Spike stared out the window. "When the sun goes down I got your back, Love." He said.

"Thank you." Buffy said before she walked out the door.


	11. Naturalism

Chapter 11

**Nature Continues On…**

The bell rang just as Dawn reached her seat. She shot a look and gave a little wave to her friend that sat across the room. Dawn looked around and saw everyone grabbing their textbook from their bags, she followed suit. She looked up on the board to see 'Pg. 243' written. Dawn turned to page 243. Without speaking a word of further instruction the teacher began to read.

"The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...

The tide rises, the tide falls,  
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;  
Along the sea-sands damp and brown  
The traveler hastens toward the town,  
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,  
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;  
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,  
Efface the footprints in the sands,  
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls  
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;  
The day returns, but nevermore  
Returns the traveller to the shore,  
And the tide rises, the tide falls."

After the teacher finished reading the selection he gave the class a few moments to comprehend what he just read.

"Who can tell me what Mr. Longfellow is trying to convey in this beautiful poem?" He asked.

The class looked at each other hoping someone would give an answer. After a few moments when no one raised their hand, the teacher sighed and decided to ask an easier question. "Who can tell me what is happening in the _first stanza_ of this poem?"

Dawn looked to her right to see a jock raise his hand. "Yes, Steven?"

"Well, it seems that the tide is rising and the tide is falling." He said with a big grin on his face. Even Dawn couldn't help herself from giggling.

"Why thank you for that brilliant discovery." The teacher shot back.

After the class giggles died down another person raised their hand. "Jessica?"

The girl put her head down and studied the poem for a second. "The tides are changing... and it's just starting to get dark..." The girl paused for a second and looked back down at the textbook. "And a traveler arrived at his destination." Jessica's answer seemed more like a question.

"Very good, Jessica." The teacher smiled at the girl. Then he decided to do the rest for himself. "In the second stanza, the night continues and Longfellow personifies the water-more specifically the waves, giving them 'soft white hands.' In the third stanza, the morning comes, and the traveler has gone but still the tides continue to change and life goes on." The teacher waited for the information to settle and then asked another question. "What is Henry Longfellow conveying in this poem?"

The same girl raised her hand. "Thank you, Jessica."

"That one life isn't important." The girl said with uncertainty.

'Let's convince the teens that their lives aren't important. That won't get you fired.' The teacher said to himself. "Not exactly." The teacher turned and began to spell out a word on the chalkboard. N-A-T-U-R-A-L-I-S-M. The teacher underlined the word and then said, "Naturalism, a late 19th century movement that took place in France. It considers man victim of the unchanging laws of nature. Man is more or less helpless in the face of forces well beyond its control." The teacher scribbled more information on the board which signaled to the students as they took out their notebooks and began to scribble as well. "Think of it in terms of Greek mythology." The teacher said as he put down the chalk and stepped away from the board. "Some men were heroes, such as Achilles or Odysseus, others villains but they were made that way by the gods or by circumstances. People may or may not have enjoyed the lives they lived but they had no control over the lives they were given..." 

Dawn felt nails digging into shoulder. She woke abruptly, completely forgetting where she was. 

"Wake up, it's stab time." Glory called.


	12. Always Darkest Before the Dawn

Chapter 12

**Always Darkest Before the Dawn**

Dawn made a feeble attempt to free her tightly bound hands. Glory smiled at her wasted effort. Glory put her hand out hinting that she wanted something from her demon minions. The all looked at each other obviously having no idea what Glory was requesting.

"The knife!" Glory said angrily as she turned around to face them. 

"Oh...umm... He was supposed to bring it." One of the demons said.

"Oh come on. When we get back I'm going to skin you." Glory said as she began her journey back down the large tower. The demons followed.

Dawn was left alone on top of the tower. She looked at the ground. Normally, Dawn would have been terrified to be so far away from the solid ground. She had other things to worry about. It was starting to get dark, but Dawn still searched the ground for a Buffy shaped ant.

When Glory and her minions finally emerged they were followed by two figures. 

"Giles!" Dawn said. Her little bit of hope was destroyed by the look on his face.

Dawn looked to Faith who was standing next to Giles. Faith tried to give Dawn a comforting smile.

Glory took the blade of the knife and slowly cut across Dawn's stomach repeating this process several times. Dawn cried out in pain with each cut.

"Oops, deeper than I would have liked, but hey what are you gonna do?" Glory asked Dawn playfully as she dropped the knife on the metal in front of her. Dawn felt the warm liquid dripping onto her feet. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else besides the pain.

Underneath their feet, Dawn's blood met the air and a small blue light formed and quickly grew larger and larger.

Glory waited patiently as the light grew. Soon she turned to her minions who nodded in response and jumped in anticipation. Glory jumped off the tower and landed inside the light, the light flashed red and Glory disappeared. This process continued as Glory's minions followed her through the portal. Soon Giles, Faith and Dawn were left alone on the tower.

The light still continued to grow. Giles picked up the knife and handed it to Faith. "We must kill her now before the walls collapse."

Faith held the knife in her hand; it was still covered in Dawn's blood. She didn't move, she couldn't move. Faith had killed people before, but she had never ended such a young life. She looked into the kid's eyes and knew she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve a life like this and she sure as hell didn't deserve a death like this.

"Faith!" Giles said.

"I-I can't." She said.

Giles opened his mouth in protest but Dawn spoke up first, "You have to." She said with tears in her eyes.

Faith looked at the girl for a minute. She grasped the knife hard in her hand. This girl was never given any super strength, she had never developed any special abilities, but she was still brave as hell. 

"Will it hurt?" Dawn asked as tears trickled down her face.

Faith fought a losing battle as tears formed in her eyes. As she blinked drops ran down her face. She couldn't lie. "It might."

Dawn closed her eyes and held her head up. "Tell Buffy I…I love her, and not to be worried… I'll be with mom."

"I'm sorry." Faith said as she plunged the knife deep into Dawn's chest.

Dawn cried out in pain. The blood soaked into Dawn's dress. Dawn let out one final gasp. The blue light dissipated.


	13. Waiting for the Miracle

Chapter 13

**The Miracles**

Xander shielded his eyes from the bright light. With only a single look at Willow he knew exactly what she was feeling. He tried; unsuccessfully to shield his eyes again and looked up, he wanted to see something, anything. Suddenly he was engulfed in a sudden red flash. Xander jumped back, not knowing what to expect. After several more flashes there was a lapse of action.

He didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to go up there? Did something go wrong? He looked to his best friend for help; her face bore the same expression as his own. He looked to his girlfriend. She was staring up into the blue light paying no attention to her surroundings.

Something happened. The blinding blue light disappeared. "They did it." He heard Willow murmur behind him. He didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. He was still waiting for some miracle to save Dawn, something to occur out of nowhere like they always did.

"Xander!" Tara screamed. Xander turned just as something came in contact with his cheek; he fell to the ground and moaned in agony. Blood poured from his cheek.

"Oh my God!" He heard Anya cry as he heard feet scamper across metal.

Xander slowly sat up. "What happened?" He asked in panic.

"Buffy, she ran up!" Anya said. She helped Xander up and checked his already swelling face.


	14. Vampire

Chapter 14

**Vampire**

Once night fell the blonde vampire ran as fast as he could. When he reached the construction site, he looked up and saw a blue light fade away. He could smell the blood. He only hoped Buffy had made it in time and Dawn was just fine.

As he drew closer to the foot of the tower, the smell grew stronger; it was a familiar smell, the stench of death.

"What did you do?!?" He screamed at them.

Willow, Tara, Anya turned to see Spike standing behind them. Xander stood up slowly. Spike could see his face was swollen and purple. They just stared at him, none gave a response.

"How could you just off, lil bit?" Spike screamed. He hadn't felt this angry since Drusilla left him.

"Spike, Buffy went up there." Xander said pointing up. "We better get up there and stop her, before she...before she does something."

Spike nodded as the four Scoobies turned and headed toward the steel ladder. Spike saw a piece of wood sitting on the ground next to him. He decided he was going to kill them all for her. He didn't care about the pain.

He picked it up the two by four and broke it across Anya's back. Spike grabbed his head. Anya cried out as well and she fell hard on the steel floor. Spike couldn't handle the pain. He screamed in agony. Xander took advantage of his pain. He grabbed a splinter.

"You Bastard." He screamed as he staked Spike from behind. Xander saw a look of rage in Spike's eyes as he turned to dust.


	15. Knife

Chapter 15

**Knife**

Faith stared at bloody knife that rested in her hand. Faith didn't think this murder would affect her this much. This girl wasn't an object at the mercy of her blade, it was Dawn. She remembered the Christmas she spent with the Summers family, it was over seventy degrees and still Joyce insisted on keeping a fire. Dawn greeted Faith at the door with a stick and a marshmallow.

"S'mores." Dawn said with a smile. Faith couldn't help but smirk, it was that moment that she started wishing she was someone else. She would have traded everything just to have half of what Buffy had.

Faith looked at the body once more. But there was nothing to see, it was gone. Where did it go? Faith thought as she looked to the ground assuming it…she fell. She looked up to see a several little green lights zooming above her then the lights slowly faded away.

"T-The essence of the key." Faith heard from behind her. She had completely forgotten that Giles was with her. To Faith's surprise, Giles was crying. This whole time he was so… so coldhearted and now he was crying? Faith tried to think of another moment when she had seen Giles cry. Figuring she was working so hard to find a memory, she figured he must not be…

"Where's my sister?" With a clank of footsteps, Faith saw a figure appear behind Giles. They both turned to see the blonde slayer creep up behind them.

"Where is Dawn?" Buffy questioned threateningly moving closer and closer to Giles. Before Buffy did something she regretted Faith stepped in between the two.

"Calm down, B." Faith said. She put her hands up to keep Buffy back; this was a mistake as Buffy saw the bloody knife.

"No." Buffy screamed as tears trickled down her face. "No. No. No."

Faith hated seeing Buffy like this. She wasn't good at emotional situations; still she racked her brain for something comforting to say.

"I'm sorry, B." It was the only thing Faith could think of.

"Buffy, she's passed." Giles said from behind Faith.

A few nervous moments passed. Buffy just stared down at Faith's bloody hands. Faith moved in and hugged Buffy, she felt someone shaking, she wasn't sure if it was Buffy or herself. That's when it happened; it happened so fast and unexpectedly that Faith had no time to react. That or she just didn't want to. Buffy reached behind and grabbed the knife right from Faith's hands.

She stabbed Faith in the stomach. She gave and unbuffy-like evil grin as she drove the knife deeper and deeper.

"Déjà vu." Buffy said. Faith gave a surprised look as Buffy threw her off the knife and the tower.

Faith closed her eyes and waited for the ground to come.


	16. Regret

Chapter 16

**Regret**

Rupert Giles closed his eyes. He flinched when he heard the thump that indicated Faith's body made contact with the concrete ground below. Before Giles had a chance to open his eyes, a hand was already around his shirt collar. He opened his eyes to look into the emotionless eyes of Buffy Summers.

Without a word she lifted him off his feet and dangled him off the side of the tower. Buffy's grip and a piece of fabric were the only things keeping him from a ten story plunge. He grabbed Buffy's arm and stared into her eyes. Giles tried to put together a legitimate plead for his life. He had never seen this look in his slayer's face, pure anger and hate.

He heard the cloth of his shirt tear and he fell an inch before Buffy caught him at his neck. He struggled for breath for several moments as the slayer's hand was tight around his neck. Then Buffy gave a huff of frustration and threw Giles against the metal beam on top of the tower. Giles moaned in pain and sat on the metal platform rubbing his neck.

Buffy stared down at the father she never had. Giles looked up to see tears forming in her eyes. She kicked him hard in the ribs and walked away without a word.


	17. Broken

Chapter 17

**Broken**

A few days later Willow sat on the couch in Giles's apartment and clutched the hand of her lover. Maybe she was holding a little too hard because Tara gave her a glance. She loosened her grip and came back to reality. Giles was hurt, badly but he refused to stay in the hospital as the doctors requested. He had been recovering in his bedroom ever since they drove him home. Now they all sat quietly in his living room. Anya was sprawled out on the couch. She was still recovering from the nasty hit she took from Spike. Xander's face was beginning to heal, though it was still slightly swollen.

"What are we gonna do?" Anya finally asked.

"I think we better just leave it be, let 'it heal." Xander answered quickly.

"No, not about Giles…" Anya began.

"I know who you mean." Xander said.

"You really think that's gonna work?" Willow asked.

"No, not at all. Xander said.

"M-maybe we should t-talk to her?" Tara said nervously, knowing very well that that idea would never work.

"We need protection before we try anything." Anya said. "Being our original protector is kinda…"

"Dead?" Willow added, frustrated by Anya's inhuman tone.

Suddenly a light bulb went on in Xander's head. He and Willow met eyes at the same moment. They both had the same idea. Willow picked up the phone, took a deep breath and dialed the infamous number.


	18. Nowadays

Chapter 18

**Nowadays**

Nowadays not many things alarmed Cordelia. In a line of work where it is common place to have your life in jeopardy, not many simple things would scare you. So when an enraged vampire growls and shatters a telephone against a wall, she didn't even flinch.

A few moments later, when the vampire grabbed his coat and said he would be gone for awhile, Cordelia did not even bother to ask him where he was going and why. She didn't need to. Only one person could make him that angry, and she was living in Sunnydale, California.


	19. A Blind Belief in Goodness

Chapter 19

**A Blind Belief in Goodness**

Buffy sat in her bedroom. She stayed there all day and watched the sun's rays slowly creep across the floor. She hated being in that house, the memories were too much, every picture she saw burned another hole in her heart. She couldn't believe what she had done, she killed Faith and she had come so close to killing Giles. As bad as that was, she did not feel guilty, they deserved what they got, and they deserve more.

She found herself plotting. Maybe Angelus had the right idea, kill anyone close to them first. Make them wish they were dead, make them beg to be killed. She then thought about Anya and Tara. She imagined torturing them while their lovers watched. To her own terror a smile came to her face. She wished she was never chosen, she wished that someone else could be cursed with this existence. What did she do to deserve all of this? She has no one, she was nothing. They all deserved what she dealt them.

She never felt a feeling like this. She felt cold and empty. She wanted to cry for her sister, but she couldn't, she worked so hard to force herself but she couldn't. She didn't feel sadness, she felt angry and betrayed. She wanted revenge. Nothing would prevent her from getting her revenge


	20. Heart on Her Sleeve

Chapter 20

**Heart on Her Sleeve**

Angel stared at their faces. They were nervous, no they were terrified. They held weapons in their hands, were they for him, or her? The four kept their distance as they told their story. He felt a growl surface with every new sentence. He could not believe what they did, to her, to Dawn.

Now they were telling him the things she did. She murdered Faith and from what it sounds came close to killing Giles. He didn't blame Buffy for how she reacted. He himself was coming close to reacting the same way. That pesky soul of his was all that was keeping them alive.

When he first saw Buffy on the steps of her high school in LA, he instantly fell in love with her. Like he told her two years ago, she wore her heart on her sleeve for everyone to see and he wanted to protect it. There were evils out there, disguised as people, that would hurt her worse than any mortal wound could. That's why he left Sunnydale in the first place, he hated seeing her hurt, and he hurt her in the worst ways possible.

The thing he loved about Buffy was her blind sense of goodness. She was so innocent. A young girl who sacrificed herself, on a daily basis, to protect the world. He saw her grow up too fast, have to deal with too much and it killed him to watch. There was nothing he could do but protect her, and make her smile. Now she fell from that innocence, she lost so much when she had so little. Her best friends where the ones to rip it all away from her and now they looked at him to do what exactly, protect them? He was here to help Buffy in anyway possible. They could all go to hell for all he cared, but he didn't want to lose the Buffy he had come to love.

He realized that he wasn't listening to what they were telling him. Memories of the young and innocent girl he had and always will love were cycling through his head. Xander said something, he didn't comprehend what he said, but he didn't like Xander's tone. He kicked him in the stomach.

He smelled a familiar scent, he looked up to the doorway to see the love of his life. She was a shell of the girl she had once been, but that was not at all her fault. He would love her anyway.


	21. Begged You Not To Go

Chapter 21

**Begged You Not To Go**

Buffy looked down at Angel, the love of her life. Angel's appearances always made everything come together and fall apart at the same time. This time was different, the pieces of Buffy's life were battered and destroyed, nothing Angel could do would bring her back. She could have cried when she looked into the deep eyes of her lover, if she had anything left inside her, she would have fell into his arms and sobbed until the sun came up.

She felt hurt and betrayed that he went to THEM first before coming to her aid. But she was angry that they called HIM for help, they hoped to turn him against her too. The long silence was broken by Xander's painful grunt. He grabbed his stomach and scampered out of Buffy's path. Buffy took a step into the house. She looked around at what were once her best friends who in turn tightened their grips on their weapons. She could sense their fear and she loved every bit of it.

"Buffy, they told me what happened." Angel said pleadingly.

Buffy just looked at him. She had nothing to say. She reached into her black bag and withdrew Faith's old and still bloodstained knife. Anya yelped and pointed her crossbow threateningly at Buffy. With a quick move and a swipe the blade cut across Anya's stomach, Buffy came back around and kicked her hard. Anya flew several feet until she came in contact with the wall and fell slowly to the ground, unconscious.

"Anya!" Xander screamed as he made a failed attempt to get up. Willow nervously ran to her Xander's side. Tara ran to assist Anya. Buffy grabbed her arm twisted her around and back handed her across the face. There was an eerie crack which Buffy assumed was the crunching of bone. Tara fell to the ground clutching her face. Buffy kicked Tara continuously in the stomach.

Angel had no idea why he did not stop it sooner. He could not believe what he was watching, he was the evil creature not Buffy, how could she do something like this?

Angel grabbed Buffy's arm and jolted her back. "Stop this!" Angel said. Buffy was surprised by the tone in his voice; she had never heard him sound so…helpless. She hoped he would help her get her revenge; he did not seem so willing. He had to know she had always stopped at nothing to get her way, no matter what the cost was.


	22. The Otherside of You

Chapter 22

**The Other Side of You**

Angel had always admired Buffy's strength and resilience. Buffy had power beyond her swift punches and her strong kicks. Angel had come in contact with a few slayers in his time, although he never had the opportunity of killing one as Spike loved to brag, he had fought a couple. From the moment he met Buffy he sensed something different in her, he never exactly figured out what it was that always kept Buffy so strong, so alive. According to traditions, most slayers and many potential slayers were separated from their family and friends, thus they had nothing else to focus on but their slayer duties and training. Buffy, like the few other American slayers escaped that treatment and that is what had made the difference between her living and her dying.

Angel knew Buffy was not the most powerful fighter, she had fought countless creatures that were much stronger that her. There was always one thing she had that they didn't and that made all the difference. She had her family to give her hope and her friends to give her a reason to fight, Buffy always knew she wasn't just fighting for her own life; she was fighting for her mother, her sister, her watcher, her friends and the love of her life. She knew that if she died, no one was left to protect them from the evils that walked the earth. That's what gave her the edge over the demons and vampires. Vampires and demons always fought for the kill, they wanted to taste the slayer's blood. Buffy fought for the win, and she always did.

Angel looked into the eyes of the girl he had always admired; he saw the change. This wasn't the same Buffy that was obvious. The beast inside him wished he could just release his grip, let her free and watch with a smile as she ruthlessly murdered all her closest friends. Angelus smelled the delicious scent of blood; he grew hungrier by the moment. Angel would never be able to live with himself if he let Buffy destroy herself like this. He didn't care about Xander or Willow, his worry was Buffy. If she proceeded with these actions she would be lost forever, following down the Faith's old path and there would be no coming back.

"Please Buffy you can't do this." Angel said.

"Yes I Can!" Buffy said with a bitter cold tone.

"Buffy, you're about to do things you can never come back from." Angel was pleading with his lover.

"I don't care." Buffy responded ripping her arm from Angel's grasp, she held the bloody knife, an inch from his nose. "You know you want to." She said as she continued to tease Angel with the knife. The aroma clung to the back of his throat, he felt a growl emerge. He could almost taste the blood, he wanted to.

Angel shook to release himself from the trance. "Buffy stop this!"

She did not listen and turned her attention to Xander. Willow made a hectic attempt to raise Xander. Xander cried in pain. Willow couldn't support his weight and the duo fell back to the ground. He used his feet to bring his back closer against the desk apparently hoping the couple of centimeters would make the different between life and death.

Angel could not watch anymore. He grabbed Buffy's arm and twisted it awkwardly until she dropped the knife. Buffy elbowed him hard in the stomach and he released her arm which was now free to punch him the face. Angel fell backwards and tried to regain his composure. He knew the beast inside was a much better fighter, but he feared what would happen if it were to be released.

Buffy did not give Angel one more second to recover as she kicked him hard in the shin. Angel fell to his knee and she elbowed him hard in the back of the head. Angel fell to the ground, he was putting more effort into controlling himself then into fighting. If he continued this way he was going to die.

With Angel on the ground Buffy searched for her knife so she could continue with what she had originally planned on doing. Buffy made the mistake of turning her back on Angel and Angel tackled her. They both landed onto one of Giles's wood chairs shattering it. Buffy grabbed one of the pieces and lifted it up ready to stake Angel.

"If you're not with me, you're against me. See you in hell." Buffy said. She lunged at Angel with the stake. He caught it just at the very last second. Buffy threw him to the side and stood back up.

"I don't want to have to kill you Angel." Buffy said finally expressing some emotion.

"You're gonna have to, I'm not gonna sit around and watch you do this to yourself." Angel responded as he stood up slowly.

Buffy swallowed hard and went in for another punch, she punched him several times hard in the face. Angel pushed Buffy off him and jumped back. His face was already bruised and bleeding. The beating he was receiving, along with the smell of human blood was all too much, he could feel the beast growing stronger and stronger as he was growing weaker. It was only a matter of time before the beast inside him was released.

"Why won't you fight me!?!" Buffy yelled. She looked to see the knife sitting at her feet. She picked it up and lunged for Angel. It was a sloppy move and Angel stepped aside and threw Buffy against the wall. She came back for another attempt. She punched him hard in the face; blood flew into Angel's eyes. She stabbed him in the stomach and Angel let out a growl of pain.

He could no longer control it; he felt his face change and the beast inside him made another painful growl. Buffy stood in shock at what was happening, what she had done. The vampire inside Angel forgot who he was fighting, now it was just trying to stay alive. Angel ripped out the knife. He punched Buffy hard across the cheek. He growled as he raised the knife and plunged the blade deep into her chest


	23. This is Gonna Hurt Like Hell

Chapter 23

**This Is Gonna Hurt Like Hell**

It's so funny how slowly time moves when you just want it to end. Angel held the bloodstained blade in his hand. His face changed back to his distraught human face. He bore a look of horror and shock. Buffy instinctively grabbed the wound, she clutched it tightly, desperately trying to keep the blood in her body. She looked into Angel's eyes. He saw a tear drop slowly down her face just before she hit the floor.

Giles apparently had finally been able to struggle out of bed. He made his best attempt to run down the stairs.

"Bloody hell. What happened?" Giles said as he clutched his side, he turned to the kitchen and saw Buffy's bloody form on the wood floor.

Both Giles and Angel came to her side. Giles searched the vicinity for a cloth or a towel for anything to cover the wound. Willow came running over with a white towel in her hand, she handed it to Angel. He put it against the wound, Buffy let out a gasp of pain. The towel almost instantly changed to a deep red. Angel ran a gentle hand through Buffy's hand in an attempt to relax her pain.

"You're going to be fine." Angel said. He wasn't sure who he was lying to Buffy or himself.

"I'm s-s-so s-s-sorry." Buffy gasped with tears in her eyes. "I shouldn't-" Angel adjusted the cloth over her wound and she let another pained gasp. She turned her head to see Xander who had just crawled over to Buffy's side. He was covered with blood; assumedly Anya's, whose inanimate form still lay in the corner of the room.

"It's not your fault." Willow said. Angel could tell that Willow was barely holding herself together. Willow grasped Buffy's hand. "It's ours." Tears rolled down Willow's cheeks and fell to the floor.

"We wouldn't have even made it close to this far without you Buff." Xander said suppressing tears.

Buffy smiled. "I l-love y-you guys." She managed. Buffy began to cough up blood. Her breathing continued to fade until Buffy slowly closed her eyes and was gone forever.

Willow leaned in, brushed a few stray hairs out of Buffy's face and kissed her best friend on the forehead. "I love you, too." She whispered.

Angel broke down at the sight of his lovers empty form. He had always sworn to protect Buffy, but he failed and now his worst nightmare was a reality. Angel fell with his back against the wall and cried hysterically. He mumbled, "Please forgive me," over and over again. He held his face in his hands and cried for the first and last woman he would ever love with every bit of his being.

Willow cried on Xander's shoulder and stared at the lifeless body of the best friend she ever had and the greatest person she had ever known.

Giles knelt down and felt her pulse, she was truly dead. He bowed his head to pay respects to the best slayer he had ever trained and the best young woman he had ever had the honor to raise and treat as his own.


	24. May You Find Some Comfort There

Chapter 24

**May You Find Some Comfort There**

Xander adjusted his tie in the mirror. He stared at it another minute and adjusted it again. Anya watched this unusual ritual with awe. Xander lifted his hand and adjusted the tie again. Anya had paid too much attention to the tie to notice a tear trickling down Xander's face.

"Honey." Anya called as she stood up.

Xander kept his focus on the mirror-image of the tie. "What if she wouldn't have liked this one?" He asked.

"I'm sure she'll love it." Anya said as she caressed his shoulder. Xander turned, buried his head in Anya's shoulder and wept.

"Why her?" He muttered.

"Because she deserved it." Anya whispered sweetly in his ear.

Xander's head instantly shot up and he gave Anya a wet glare. Anya, in return, gave a confused look, she searched her brain for where that statement could have gone wrong.

"Ohh…No…No…O… I meant that she deserves to be…" Anya pointed up.

Xander understood and forgave her for the misunderstanding. He glanced over at the clock.

"We gotta get going." He said.

The pair walked out, locking the door behind them.


	25. Not Even Half

Chapter 25

**Not Even Half**

The Funeral Procession followed the hearse to the church. The gang sat in the limo in silence. Memories of their protector, their best friend lingered everywhere. No one seemed angry with Buffy for the latest events. How could they be? She had been at their side since the very beginning, five years ago. Giles couldn't help but grin when he pictured the young sixteen year-old girl with pom-poms on the day she planned to try out for the cheerleading squad.

The limo finally stopped in front of the church. _That was a lot of traffic for a Wednesday night_. Giles thought to himself. He looked out the window to see a little man running towards the car. Giles was unfortunate enough to be on a first name basis with the local funeral director. When the door to the limo was opened the man came over to help them out of the vehicle. He seemed nervous and overly friendly.

"Rupert… erm…" The man started as Giles adjusted his suit.

"What?" Giles huffed, today was not the day for anything to go wrong.

"Erm, well it was very unorthodox to hold the service after dark…" Giles shot a look at Angel who coughed uncomfortably. "…the fact that Father even considered it meant that he happened to be quite fond of Ms. Summers."

"And?" Giles said, not at all in the mood for small talk.

The man cleared his throat and continued. "The church just won't go for this!"

"What in God's name are you talking about?" Giles asked with annoyance.

The man pointed his stubby finger to the street that looked lined with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

"We have nothing to do with that…" Giles looked closer and saw every car turning into the already full church parking lot. He looked across the street to see swarms of nicely dressed crowds coming from parking lots across and down the street.

"The church is already packed, and look at all those double parked cars." He said as he pointed again. "How are we supposed to make room?"

"Take out the pews?" Tara recommended giving Willow a look.

"I'm on it." Willow said as she and the others left for the church entrance.

When the walked through the side doors they were astounded by the amount of people, and more and more kept filing in.

"O Man." Xander said with a smile. "All these people are here for Buffy?"

Angel gave a proud smile. "Not even half the people she has saved." Angel said.

"So how are we supposed to move the pews with people sitting on them?" Xander asked. "Do we ask them to move?"

Willow murmured some words in Latin and everyone that was once sitting fell to the floor. The pews had disappeared.

"Willow!?! You can't just…" Xander looked over half-expecting everyone to run out the door. All of them just stood up, looked around confusingly and shrugged.

"I guess there have been weirder things have happened in Sunnydale." Xander said. "Well on that note I guess we should take a…stand."


	26. She Saved The World, A lot

Chapter 26

**She Saved The World, A lot.**

There was complete silence as the priest stood in front of the room. He, oddly, was not thrown-off by the amount of people in the room. He gave a grin, as though this was what he had expected. The man cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I am not at all surprised to see all you here today, not at all. She has affected so many of our lives, yet many of us never even learned her name. The young girl that saved the world, her name was Buffy Anne Summers." The priest paused for a moment to give her name the respect it deserved.

"I know it is unorthodox for me to smile on such a tragic day as today, but I cannot look into the eyes of this young girl's face…" He gestured toward on of the pictures of Buffy. "…without smiling. You see, this young, beautiful, brave girl was the answer to all of our society's epidemics. How many of you know someone who died from cancer?" The crowd gave each other unsure looks and slowly began to raise their hands. Several hands were waved unsurely into the air.

"How about violence and crime? How many, know someone or are someone affected by the violence and crime so commonly found in our society?" Almost everyone in the crowd raised their hands. "I see… now how many of you were affected by Ms. Summers?" Everyone in the room, including the priest raised their hands high in the air.

"Half-a-decade ago I was consoling a numerous amount of childless parents and parentless children. I was helping a countless number of relatives and friends of those that mysteriously disappeared or that were horribly murdered. Then, suddenly, I had people telling me about a blond-haired angel who saved them from certain death. None of them could give me a name but all of them would never forget the face. The hero who saved us all remained anonymous and nameless, until today. We may never be able to thank her again for the gift of life she has given us but we will be able to retell the memories and stories of the strongest hero to ever fall."


	27. Author's Note

**/* Author's Note*/**

**Howdy All,**

**Random Author reappearance. So I wrote this story way back in the day. It actually is very close to my heart since I wrote it when I was going through a really rough time in my life. I poured my heart into it and it got such wonderful feedback. **

**Now I feel like I've grown up at as a writer but I still love the idea behind Best Enemies. I'm been contemplating doing a rewrite of the story. Fix up chapters, lengthen chapters etc maybe alternate endings and such? Would there be any interest in this? **

**Let me know in the Reviews or on my tumblr (see my profile) . Thanks Guys.**


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